Bright Candle
by Moo Chapman
Summary: one chapter wonder Rogue and Scott deal with Jeans death at the end of X2


Bright candle By Pandora  
  
I don't own them, and you all know that, you're not stupid  
  
Scott/ Rogue friendship Scott and Rogue grieve together after the second movie.  
  
Scott Summer's watched Rogue carry the lit candle, just as she had for the last three weeks, across the foyer out the front door and across the grounds to the tree that she had taken to sitting under as she studied, some thing she had been doing a hell of a lot of lately.  
  
Scott wondered if any one else had noticed the change in Rogue's character since Jean's death, Logan had taken off only hours after returning to the Mansion, Ororo and the Professor hid their grief in counselling the students with theirs. And he himself had become despondent, for over a month he saw and herd nothing; the first thing he saw was Rogue carrying a candle across the foyer. After that he went back to teaching but for the most put of watched Rogue. He had been following he out to the tree for the past two weeks she never said any thing she just sat there and stared at the candle she placed at it's foot. He was worried about her. The first day the he had gone back to teaching he had learnt about her brake up with Bobby, he didn't know any thing of the reasons, but then again from what he could tell no one else did ether.  
  
"Ah know there Mista Summer's" Rogue spoke shocking him "Ah know ya been followin' fa two weeks now"  
  
"Why didn't you say any thing?" he ask walking closer and stopping just behind her she hadn't turned around she was still watching the flame, so he just watched it right along with her.  
  
"Well thang is afta ya saw me that firs' time, ya came outa ya room an' started teachin' again, an kept a pretty close eye on me, at first Ah didn' understand why then it hit me, ya needed a mystery, somethin' ta figure out somethin' ta fix Ah was more then glad ta be that thang, an since doin' what Ah felt Ah need ta do fit right in with that it was all the more easier"  
  
"So this thing with the candle, it's all show?"  
  
"Yar girl, she was a hell of candle, she out shone the sun."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"Ah always thought of kindness kinda like a candle, it burned bright an warm an there aint nothin' that can hide its lite. An yar Jean, she was a candle." Rogue ripped her dark eyes from the candle in front of her and Scott saw the tears on her cheeks and the well-worn path that had been left by the ones before it "Did ya eva hear the sayin' 'The candle the burns twice as bright burn half as long'?"  
  
Scott was beginning to under stand "Yes I've herd it" and sat beside her  
  
"Ah've had nightmare's all mah life, most the time they're not mine Jean said that Ah'm empathic that I pick on other people fear when Ah sleep. We usta come out here sometimes when Ah had a really bad one, an we'd talk, bout nothin' an everythin'. She told me that she usta sit here an study. I miss those nights. I miss some on knowin' when I wake up in the night" Scott put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him "She really did burn bright, I should have known betta I shoulda known somethin' bad was gunna happen" Rogue had turned in to him and was now crying hard her entire weight rest on her english teacher.  
  
"Your right" Scott said the strain of hiding his tears showing in his voice "About kindness being like a candle, Jean shone with so much kindness, I have only even seen one person who comes close"  
  
"Ms Monroe?"  
  
"No Rogue. You." Scott said "Your in pain, not just over Jean, but Logan leaving like he did that had to hurt too, you haven't said a word of it, but moment you saw a chance to help me you took it. It's the way you and Jean are most alike"  
  
"You think Ah'm like her?"  
  
"Yeah I do"  
  
At that Rogue looked back to that candle in front of her she and Scott watched until it had burnt out after that Scott stood and helped Rogue to her feet and he walked up stairs and back to her room, with out a word they both knew that tomorrow night they would watch the flame again. Maybe one day they could rise from the ash's of the candles that they would burn together. 


End file.
